Plano's Preventative Approach to Maintenance

Several years ago, the City of Plano’s Public Works Department undertook an assessment of its collected data to analyze how it could improve in its two areas of focus: water/wastewater and streets/traffic. By analyzing existing geographic information system (GIS) data for water, sewer and pavement, and collecting pavement condition index (PCI) scores for streets, the Department was able to determine a need for moving past sheer data collection to strategic asset management and planning to increase operational efficiency with a proactive approach.

With the introduction of an infrastructure-heavy bond election in 2013 and two bond referendums in 2017 and 2021, respectively, the City had the necessary funding (and support of the community) to transform its outlook on infrastructure moving toward the future. As a whole, the City shifted from a replacement mentality to a preventative maintenance philosophy when it comes to community-wide infrastructure investments. Working with other departments, Public Works developed a methodology for determining key infrastructure projects that moved from a reactive approach to the maintenance, repair and replacement of City infrastructure to a more proactive approach, saving City funding long-term as well as improving quality of life for every resident and visitor across the city.

Located just north of Dallas, Plano covers roughly 72 square miles and has about 287,000 residents, reaching that size primarily through explosive growth from 1980 to 2000. In fact, the population increased 75% during each of those two decades, meaning that thousands of miles of infrastructure were installed during that time and now require maintenance, repair or replacement. Public Works alone is responsible for the maintenance of over $2 billion of infrastructure, including:

• 1,800 miles of streets/alleys (3,000 lane miles)
• 1,000 miles of sanitary sewer mains
• 1,500 miles of water mains
• 860 miles of storm mains
• 235 signalized intersections
• 607,000 assets (40 types)

For years, crews collected data on the condition of sewer infrastructure and logged that data into a work order system. However, the information was not integrated into GIS and therefore an overall condition assessment of the system was difficult to create. As a result, City staff were surprised when they started developing elements of a Wastewater Master Plan. An analysis showed that 150 miles of pipes were assumed to be in poor condition due to the GIS data on age and material. The real number was only half as much, but data gaps and a lack of system integration had created the incorrect impression that the problem was much worse.

To transform all that valuable sewer system data into actionable insights, the City used its Wastewater Master Plan to integrate inspection and maintenance data into a desktop risk-based assessment. With the introduction of Cartegraph, an asset management and work order software, work crews were able to track work by asset in real-time using iPads in the field and provide actionable data to improve reporting methods and better prioritize staff time. This data provided City staff with a more accurate view of maintenance needs and a stronger framework for a sustainable, collaborative plan. As an added bonus and as a cost-savings strategy, the City was able to work within its existing software instead of having to invest in new technology.

This technology changed the game for every facet of Public Works. With 607,000 tangible assets, including manholes, water mains, pavement markings, streets and sidewalks, among many others, the City’s more than 150 Public Works employees can now instantly read the latest assessment of each. The integration of Cartegraph with GraniteNet inspection software helps staff assist in planning, make better decisions in the field, determine and prioritize what will need to be repaired or replaced soonest, what repair methodologies help extend (or hurt) the lifespan of each asset and how much material is needed to repair or replace the infrastructure based on past needs.

With this new information collection system in hand, the 2017 bond referendum pitched the City’s most extensive road and park investments in decades as infrastructure installed during the City’s growth spurts continued to deteriorate. The projects were funded by more than $224 million in bonds, with the largest shares of the funding going toward street projects and improvements to the City’s sprawling parks system.

Even with the additional funding, the Public Works department was still in search of new ways to help streamline their processes and improve the quality of existing infrastructure. In November 2017, Public Works piloted an innovative ultra-thin asphalt overlay on a major local throughfare, Independence Parkway. In order to test standard concrete pavement repairs against the new overlay along the length of the entire project, an overlay was added in the middle section, while the ends of the project were not treated to serve as a control section. Following this pilot program, an independent consultant assessed updated pavement condition index (PCI) scores in November 2019. The average PCI score for the overlay was 92, while the average score on the control section with no overlay was 80, on a scale of 0-100.

Public Works also routinely performed pothole surveys of both the control sections and overlay sections to ensure quality control. The latest survey conducted in late 2020 revealed 86 minor potholes or defects and eight major potholes, which were all located outside of the overlay limits. The overlay continues to perform well with no potholes so far.

The new overlay system also has the support of local residents. Public Works has since received many compliments on the overlay section. Residents prefer how much smoother the ride is with the added overlay and how the overlay hides the “patchwork” look that you see with traditional maintenance projects. Public Works will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the overlay and, based on the success shown over the first three years, program future overlays around the city as funding allows.

In early 2019, Public Works shifted wastewater operations to include videoing sewer lines while they were cleaned. This allowed the City to put eyes on more of the system at a faster pace to identify problem lines and assess the condition of the system. Public Works was also able to purchase two new TV vans, incorporating GraniteNet into its inspection process to meet National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) standards and grade the sewer mains. Crews then imported those scores back into Cartegraph to help build a complete picture of the entire system.

In spring 2019, Public Works also started a sign change-out program to meet federal requirements to maintain reflectivity in regulatory signs. Public Works developed a program and began to systematically start changing signs out. This led to better visibility and communication for every user on the road. As a result of the program, Public Works has nearly tripled its annual sign replacement volume and now knows the age and condition of 42% of its sign inventory (up from 22% pre-implementation). The department has also added 2,385 additional signs to the system since beginning the program.

Additionally, the City’s Traffic Signals group began quarterly inspections of signalized intersections in the last quarter of 2019 to identify issues before they occurred. As a result of the inspections, the Department received 50% fewer requests for signal repairs in 2020 (361 requests) as compared to 2019 (675 requests). The group saw a 30% decrease in tasks in 2020 (4,154 tasks) as compared to 2019 (5,895 tasks), which resulted in labor cost savings of nearly $23,000 and a material cost savings of almost $230,000. The program continues to be very successful.

?In 2020, the City partnered with Voda.ai to complete a desktop analysis of the water lines using historical water main break data and artificial intelligence. The results were loaded into Cartegraph to identify the criticality of lines and likelihood of failure. In 2021, crews used satellite imagery to identify water leaks and field verification to identify over 250 actual leaks in the field.

Coming on the heels of the newly improved systems in place, the 2021 bond referendum continued to target infrastructure improvements, with more than half of the bond dedicated to street improvements, including reconstruction and overlay for many aging streets as well as traffic improvements. Infrastructure upgrades at Parks and Recreation facilities made up the bulk of the remaining costs in projects. This level of funding will continue to support the City’s efforts to keep up with and improve quality of life for all residents and visitors.

The impacts of each change made by Plano’s Public Works department and City leadership can be felt by every Plano resident, whether or not they know they are directly impacted. With a proactive approach, rather than a reactionary one, the City will be able to better assess and take stock of the current status of every piece of its infrastructure puzzle. Without this innovative and preemptive approach, the City’s aging infrastructure would be in a very different state than what citizens are able to currently enjoy and rely upon.